Blood, Bullets, and Bravery
by Kelsocspanatarailka
Summary: Sheriff Steven Rogers has a problem. His town has always been peaceful, despite being run by pompus shipping magnate, Anthony Stark, and Steve's tense relations with his childhood friend (and blacksmith) James Barnes. So when a man in a mask comes into Holbrooke, California shaking up things, naturally Steve should be suspicious. Right? Contains CANON characters only!


**Hello! Got a new story here! Those who read Days in Shadow know that this is the same excerpt i put in there. but I also wanted to put it out to the masses. This is the first Old West AU I've seen in this fandom. So, here's the character list and the first chapter. There's a poll in my profile, so please VOTE for what direction you want the story to take.**

 **Read, review, and enjoy. ;)**

Sheriff Steven Rogers - kind, generous lawman of Holbrook, California

Mister Anthony Stark - rich, shipping magnate

Doctor Robert Banner - attentive, caring town doctor

Lord Theodore "Thor" Odinson - ruler of a small Norwegian province, looking to find adventure in the West

Mister Clinton Barton - sharpshooting prankster, runs the mercantile

Miss Natasha Romanov - former high priced "companion" from back east looking to start again; surprisingly fine combat skills for such a proper lady

Deputy Samuel Wilson - former wingman of the Sheriff from when he was in the army, made fast friends with Clint

Mister James Rhodes - Mister Stark's foreman, best friend, and grounding voice

Miss Virginia Potts - Mister Stark's long time love interest, and personal assistant

Mister Pietro "Peter" Maximoff - a young cattle rancher, second-generation Eastern European, aiming to make a home for his sister

Miss Wanda Maximoff - sweet, young woman; business smart and financially shrewd; often saves her brother from himself

Mister James "Bucky" Barnes – blacksmith/livery owner, has his eye on Wanda; estranged childhood friends with Steven

Mister Harold "Happy" Hogan - runs the saloon; is his own bouncer, moonlights as bodyguard for Mister Stark

Mayor Nicholas Fury - mayor of the town

Deputy Mayor Coulson - deputy mayor of the town

Mister Victor "Vision" Ultron - the young son of an unjust factory owner in the east, Mr. Ultron hides himself away behind masks and closed doors, due to a devastating skin condition that makes him most unpleasant to behold; he is inwardly a kind and gentle man who has been shunned for his condition and his parentage for a long time. He comes to Holbrook for a fresh start.

Chapter 1

"So you will go inside and I will...?"

"Wait outside." Pietro Maximoff nodded decisively. "The saloon is no place for a young lady. They would devour you in there."

"And I am so much safer outside." Wanda Maximoff returned dryly.

"You are." Pietro insisted doggedly. "I will go in alone, because those men will look at you like you're a meal, and I will have to hurt them."

"If it is so dangerous, am I to allow my only brother to enter?" Wanda raised a cool eyebrow at her brother's argument.

"Yes, you are to allow it, and you will be fine in full sight of the jailhouse." Pietro rolled his eyes slightly.

"Why must you go at all?" Wanda asked him, her tone edging a bit on pleading.

"You wanted me to ask directions to the mercantile." Pietro said in a softer voice, hearing his sister's concern.

"There are other places to ask directions, brata." Wanda said slowly; as though he were dense.

"Well, we are here now. You will stay and I will go. Do not talk to anyone." Pietro replied hotly, applying the brake and jumping down from the wagon. (Perhaps he was upset that his sister's logic was so hard to refute.) But refute it, he did, and Wanda was left outside while her twin brother went inside to ask directions. He could've gone someplace else. She thought. But I suppose it is none of my business where Piet chooses to frequent.

As she thought this, a tall, handsome man; long blond haired and muscular, rode down the street on a chestnut mare. He stopped outside of the saloon; right next to the wagon Wanda was perched on, and swung down. He tied the reins to the post, tipped his fancy hat to Wanda, and entered the saloon. As the door slammed shut behind him, it brought a wave of male body odor and alcohol so overwhelming, Wanda cringed.

It was a most unprofitable use of her time to stare at the front of the saloon, and she figured the time would go faster if she ignored thoughts of her brother; so Wanda averted her eyes, choosing instead to observe the people walking down the streets. She wanted to see the workings of the town; after all, this was her new home.

She saw a tall blond man wearing a Stetson and a badge on his vest walk out of the mercantile, carrying a load of goods while laughing with a shorter black man also in a Stetson and equally weighed down with goods. She smiled at this; back where they'd come from, racism was subtle, but rampant.

Across the street, a loud clanging noise could be heard, which upon further inspection was shown to be from the blacksmith's shop which adjoined the livery. Inside the shop was a tall, dark-haired man standing at an anvil, presumably the blacksmith. He was wearing thick denim trousers, black boots, a leather apron and little else, really. He has his back to Wanda, and she could see the muscles rolling underneath the skin of his back with every swing of his hammer.

He turned around, dunking a red-hot metal bar into a bucket of water. On his way back to the anvil, he caught Wanda's eye and smiled. She smiled back; sure her face was as red as his furnace. She averted her eyes quickly, finding the Mayor's Office two buildings away from the livery. Wanda leaned forward, trying to see further down Main Street; when a shout behind her drew her eyes back to the saloon. And her brother. On his face. In the dirt. His hat had flown off and there was a beefy, dark-haired man standing over him. The man was quite obviously the bartender, and apparently the heavy too.

"And don't come back until you have money for yer drinks!" The bartender shouted, red-faced. Pietro scrambled up, jamming his hat on indignantly and jumped back onto the wagon. He unwrapped the reins from the brake, jammed it back into place, and spurred on the horses.

"Stupid bartender." He huffed as they rattled away.

"Did you attempt to start a tab?" Wanda asked wryly. "You of all people should know that you have to have paid for at least one drink first. It is the rule of the West."

"I don't want to talk about it." Pietro muttered tartly.

"Of course you don't." Wanda rolled her eyes with a long-suffering sigh.

 **I hope you liked this. Bye!**

 **P.S. Expect monthly to bi-monthly updates.**


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